System and method for providing broadcast listener participation

ABSTRACT

A method of allowing listeners to participate in broadcast programming is provided, the method generally comprising one or more of providing a library of media elements accessible by a plurality of listeners; receiving from each of at least two of the listeners a playlist of media elements, wherein at least one of the media elements in each playlist is from the library of media elements; editing the playlists using broadcast scheduling software; providing the edited playlists to the plurality of listeners for playback, and for feedback regarding the playlists; and receiving feedback from at least one of the listeners regarding the playlists. A system and apparatus are similarly provided.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/968,710, filed on Aug. 29, 2007, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This application contains material that is subject to copyrightprotection. Such material may be reproduced by any person exactly as itappears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records. Thecopyright owner otherwise reserves all rights to such material.

FIELD

This application generally relates to information technology in thefield of radio broadcasting, and more particularly to interactive radiobroadcasting.

BACKGROUND

In the field of radio broadcasting, present broadcast schedulingtechnology is not utilized to its full potential. For example, listenersare not able interact with broadcasters to create, hear and ratebroadcasting playlists. Therefore, there is a need in the art for asystem and method for providing listener participation of that sort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is depicts an embodiment of a system that may be used forproviding a listener participation interface.

FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of a screen for a listener to register foraccess to a listener participation interface that may be provided by theexemplary listener participation software.

FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment of an interface for a listener to log intoa listener participation interface that may be provided by the exemplarylistener participation software.

FIG. 4 is an embodiment of an interface for defining and creating aplaylist of media elements that may be provided by the exemplarylistener participation software.

FIG. 5 is an embodiment of an interface having a selection of mediaelements that may be assembled into a playlist which may be provided bythe exemplary listener participation software.

FIG. 6 depicts a display that may be provided by the exemplary listenerparticipation software of a playlist that may be created by use of theinterfaces of FIGS. 4-5.

FIG. 7 depicts one embodiment of an interface that may be provided bythe exemplary listener participation software for viewing and listeningto a playlist that may be rated.

FIG. 8 depicts an embodiment of an interface that may be provided by theexemplary listener participation software for a listener to rate aplurality of playlists that have been created and submitted.

FIG. 9 depicts one embodiment of an interface that may be provided bythe exemplary listener participation software for providing frequentlyasked questions and answers regarding a playlist contest.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of a systemthat may provide a listener participation interface.

FIG. 11 depicts another embodiment of an interface that may be providedby the exemplary listener participation software for previewing,listening to, and rating one or more playlists.

FIG. 12 depicts another embodiment of an interface that may be providedby the exemplary listener participation software for defining andcreating a playlist from a selection of media elements.

FIG. 13 depicts another alternative embodiment of an interface that maybe provided by the exemplary listener participation software for alistener to rate and preview a playlist that has been created andsubmitted.

FIG. 14 depicts an embodiment of an interface that may be provided bythe exemplary listener participation software for a radio broadcaster tomanage and edit a playlist that has been submitted.

FIG. 15 depicts an embodiment of an interface that may be provided bythe exemplary listener participation software for a radio broadcaster toincorporate a plurality of playlists into a radio broadcast.

FIG. 16 depicts another embodiment of an interface that may be providedby the exemplary listener participation software for a radio broadcasterto incorporate a plurality of playlists into a radio broadcast andexport that information into its broadcast automation software.

FIG. 17 depicts a time-based log of media elements that have beencreated by incorporating one or more playlists created by listeners intoa radio broadcast.

FIG. 18 depicts an interface that may be provided by the exemplarylistener participation software for a radio broadcaster to manage andedit media elements that have been or will be populated onto a listenerparticipation interface database.

FIG. 19 depicts an interface that may be provided by the exemplarylistener participation software for a radio broadcaster to create andmanage one or more playlist contests.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of yet another alternative embodiment ofa system that may provide a listener participation interface.

FIG. 21 depicts an embodiment of an interface that may be provided bythe exemplary listener participation software for viewing, listening to,and rating a plurality of songs.

FIG. 22 depicts an embodiment of an interface that may be provided bythe exemplary listener participation software for a radio broadcaster toaccess the ratings submitted through the interface of FIG. 21.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, a system and method is described in connection withradio station broadcasting for providing a listener participationinterface. Such a listener participation interface may be provided toallow listeners to organize media elements into a playlist and tofacilitate the judging of playlists by listeners and/or by radiobroadcasters. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the systemand method described herein may alternatively be provided in connectionwith television or other media broadcasting. Accordingly, a “listener”may refer to a consumer of audible media, visible media, data media, orsome combination thereof, and may also refer to, e.g., more generalusers and to evaluators of such media.

In one embodiment, a listener participation interface may allowlisteners to use the same or similar technology as that used by radiobroadcasters to create playlists from media elements provided by a radiobroadcaster, allow secure access to broadcast data or media elementsstored on a radio broadcaster's database, and allow playlists to bejudged in a contest by listeners and by radio broadcasters. In oneembodiment, once playlist finalists have been determined by the radiobroadcaster, playlists may be imported into the broadcaster's broadcastscheduling computer and database for broad transmission, e.g.,over-the-air or via the Internet. Listeners may then hear the playlistson the radio broadcast and have the opportunity through the listenerparticipation interface to rate and judge the playlists. The timing andorder of broadcasting listener playlists may be based on the playlistimpact amongst the listeners who have submitted the playlists, as wellas how the listener playlists pertain and relate to the otherprogramming scheduled in the day. A broadcaster may examine when to bestair playlists such that the playlists do not appear to repeat otherlistener playlists or the broadcaster's broadcast schedule. Historicaldata may be logged by the broadcaster's existing broadcast schedulingcomputer in order for future schedules to be based on what mediaelements were broadcast in listener playlists.

Radio broadcasters generally use playlist assembler software to createone or more playlists that may be incorporated into a given radiobroadcast. Playlist assembler software may comprise computerinstructions to assist in organizing a plurality of media elements toform a playlist for a given radio broadcast. For example, playlistassembler software may comprise the MusicGen® or GSelector® musicscheduling software installed on a radio broadcasting stationworkstation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that variousembodiments of playlist assembler software may be used in connectionwith the system and method described herein. A media element mayinclude, but is not limited to, a song, an advertisement, a radio hostcommentary, news, a segue, beds, a promotion, station identification, atraffic report, a time or temperature announcement, a sound effect, ashow, and the like, and may include metadata associated with those mediaelements, such as artist, title, track and the like. Some embodiments ofplaylist assembler software may provide a segue editor that a listenermay use to define the relationship between media elements such ascross-fades and voice-overs. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat assembling media elements in other contexts, such as assemblingvideo and text files, may include video elements, text and other visualevents, as well.

A playlist is generally a time-based collection or arrangement of mediaelements organized in playback order. For example and not by limitation,a broadcaster may define, over a 24-hour period, when various mediaelements will be played to create the radio (or television, etc., as thecase may be) broadcast “experience,” as is known to those skilled in theart. A playlist may be planned and created well in advance of actualbroadcast, or may be created or modified “on the fly.” A playlist mayalso include metadata associated with the media elements, such as songtitle, artist, radio station identification, macros (listener-definedsequences of media elements) and the like. As noted above, playlistassembler software may allow the relationship or transition betweenmedia elements to be defined through use of a segue editor to provide aparticular listening experience.

As shown in FIG. 1, one embodiment of a system and method of providing alistener participation interface may include a radio station workstation10 running radio broadcast automation software, e.g., the NexGenDigital® broadcast automation suite from Prophet Systems Inc. or MasterControl™ studio automation software from RCS, Inc., that relies on abroadcast automation content server 9 for broadcast program content andon a broadcast automation database 8 for broadcast program schedule datasuch as media elements. The radio station workstation 10 may broadcast aradio program over the air via antenna 11 or transmit the program to aradio station website hosting server 2 for transmission, such as bystreaming or downloading, to a listener computer 1 and/or cell phone 12or other mobile device. Optionally, a website hosting administrator maymanage the radio station website hosting server 2 via workstation 3. Theradio station workstation 10 may further rely on music schedulingdatabase 7 to supply music scheduling data for the radio programschedule. A listener may use a listener computer 1 to access a radiostation's website at radio station website hosting server 2. Generally,a listener may listen to that radio station's broadcast either over theair (if within the broadcast range of antenna 11) or via networktransmission, e.g., the Internet. Those having skill in the art willrecognize that a broadcaster may operate multiple radio stations and maythus broadcast multiple media streams.

In one embodiment, a listener may interact with the radio broadcaster. Alistener participation interface server 4 may provide a listenerparticipation graphical user interface (GUI) to the radio stationwebsite hosting server 2 for access by the listener through listenercomputer 1. The GUI may be populated with media elements retrieved froma listener participation interface database 6. An administrator maymanage the listener participation interface server 4 and listenerparticipation interface database 6 via workstation 5. Alternatively, thesystem may include one or more listener participation interface servers4 and one or more listener participation interface databases 6. Thelistener participation interface server 4 and listener participationinterface database 6 may provide a more secure “layer” between abroadcaster's computer system and one or more listeners. A broadcaster'scomputer system may comprise, in this embodiment, radio stationworkstation 10, broadcast automation content server 9, broadcastautomation content database 8 and music scheduling database 7, all ofwhich may be located at a single location or at multiple locations. Assuch, a broadcaster may protect any proprietary or confidentialinformation and its systems of operation while still allowing one ormore listeners to have access to certain media elements, playlists orsoftware programs, including but not limited to listener participationsoftware or playlist assembler software. Generally, a database includes,but is not limited to, a collection of data embodied in at least onecomputer readable medium and organized in a suitable way to permit acomputer to select one or more desired pieces of such data. Forinstance, listener participation interface database 6 may comprise aStructured Query Language (SQL) database or a Microsoft® Accessdatabase. Of course, other suitable databases may be employed. Thecomputers, workstations and servers include but are not limited toprogrammable machines capable of executing machine-readableinstructions. The computers, workstations and servers may comprise oneor more processors, which may comprise part of a single machine ormultiple machines.

Each of listener participation interface server 4 and listenerparticipation interface database 6 may comprise one or more units ofhardware, which may or may not be located at the same geographiclocation. Listener participation interface database 6, which may beintegral to or separate from listener participation interface server 4,may serve as a searchable repository for a large volume of mediaelements. Listener participation interface database 6 and listenerparticipation interface server 4 may be accessible by one or more radiopersonnel, such as through workstations 10 or 5, and one or morelisteners through a network, which may include but is not limited to theInternet. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognize thatcommunication between the devices illustrated in FIG. 1 may be direct orindirect, wireless or otherwise, and through any suitable network, suchas the Internet. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a listenermay communicate with the radio station website hosting server via anysuitable electronic device, including mobile devices such as cellularphones 12 and PDAs. Listener participation interface server 4 may beprogrammed with one or more computer programs containing instructionsfor receiving input signals representative of media elements, storingthe media elements in listener participation interface database 6, andproviding or restricting access to media elements or listenerparticipation software to one or more listeners, one or more radiobroadcast personnel, or any other users.

In various embodiments, a radio broadcaster or radio station may createa contest by selecting a plurality of media elements available forincorporation into playlists by listeners and populating a listenerparticipation interface database 6 with the selected media elements. Forexample, a listener participation interface database 6 may be populatedwith media elements chosen from media elements stored in the musicscheduling database 7. Also, listeners may create and submit mediaelements and playlists by utilizing a listener participation interface.

In some embodiments, at least one listener participation interfaceserver 4 alone or in combination with at least one listenerparticipation interface database 6 may serve to host a listenerparticipation interface for a plurality of radio stations located atvarious geographic locations. Such a configuration would allow a radiostation to incorporate a listener participation interface into the radiostation's existing website without requiring additional computers ordatabases to be added to the radio station's existing computer system.In various embodiments, listener participation interface database 6 maypopulate media elements into a listener participation interface, andmaintain the listener participation interface, voting, and analysistools for tallying votes for various playlists or analysis of data forpromotions or accounting purposes.

Broadcast automation content server 9 may be programmed withinstructions to export media elements from broadcast automation database8 to listener participation interface server 4 and in turn to listenerparticipation interface database 6. A broadcaster may selectivelydetermine which media elements or playlists may populate listenerparticipation interface database 6. Broadcaster or radio stationpersonnel may use an interface may be provided via radio stationworkstation 10 to build a library of media elements on listenerparticipation interface database 6 that may be later accessed by one ormore listeners. A radio broadcaster may periodically update the mediaelements on listener participation interface database 6.

Media elements may be organized in various ways, such as by topic, musicgenre or by length of time. Also, media elements may be tagged withidentifying metadata that allows a query to be employed to search for acertain type of media element on listener participation interfacedatabase 6. For instance, media elements that comprise songs may betagged as “country” or “rock” and a query could be run to retrieve allcountry or all rock song media elements. When media elements areexported from broadcast automation content server 9, metadata associatedwith those media elements may also be exported, such as but not limitedto metadata identifying artist, title, length, sound code, tempo, andcore score.

Each of broadcast automation content server 9 and broadcast automationdatabase 8 may comprise one or more units of hardware, which may belocated at the same geographic location. Broadcast automation database8, which may be integral to or separate from broadcast automationcontent server 9, may serve as a searchable repository for a largevolume of media elements. Broadcast automation database 8 may be arelational database or any other suitable type of database. Broadcastautomation content server 9 may be programmed with instructions, such asbut not limited to playlist assembler software, for organizing mediaelements into one or more playlists and organizing one or more playlistsin order to generate a radio broadcast that may be transmitted viabroadcast antenna 11. Broadcast automation content server 9 may alsocontain sufficient storage for maintaining a broadcast automationdatabase 8.

A broadcast antenna 11 may or may not be located at the same geographiclocation as broadcast automation content database 8 and broadcastautomation content server 9. Broadcast automation content server 9 maybe accessible by one or more radio broadcast personnel through aworkstation 10 that may communicate with broadcast automation contentserver 9 through a network, e.g., the Internet. One or more radiobroadcast personnel may generate a playlist or radio broadcast viaworkstation 10. A wide variety of media elements may be stored onbroadcast automation content database 8 and may be accessible by radiobroadcast personnel at one or more geographic locations.

Listener participation interface server 4 may be programmed withinstructions to permit (or not) access by one or more listeners, radiobroadcast personnel or other users to certain portions of media elementson listener participation interface database 6 and to permit (or not)access to various software, including but not limited to listenerparticipation software, that may be run on broadcast automation contentserver 9 or listener participation interface server 4. Listenerparticipation software may comprise computer-readable instructions forproviding a listener participation GUI accessible over a network thatallows media elements to be arranged into a playlist and for providing alistener participation GUI that allows playlists to be viewed, listenedto and judged as part of a contest. In some embodiments, theinstructions in listener participation software that allow mediaelements to be organized into a playlist may be similar to instructionsprovided by playlist assembler software typically used by a broadcaster.In some embodiments, playlists that are created by using the exemplarylistener participation software may be automatically compatible with,and may be incorporated into an actual radio broadcast by abroadcaster's broadcast automation software. Listener participationsoftware may provide a listener participation GUI for display on alistener computer 1 via a network, e.g., the Internet. Alternatively,listener participation software may display a GUI on any other suitablecomputer or electronic device, such as but not limited to a cell phone,PDA, or hand-held computer. Listener participation software may beprovided as an interactive web-based application. Alternatively, suchlistener participation software may be distributed, for example, on CDor via internet download.

Data to be stored in the listener participation interface database 6 mayinclude registration information of one or more listeners. For example,if a listener requests a password, or some other authorization key, tobe able to access a listener participation interface, listenerparticipation interface server 4 may be programmed with instructions torequire certain particular listener participation data to be entered,such as legal name, screen name, home or mailing address, age, telephonenumber, e-mail address, and other information concerning the listener.Some or all of this listener registration data may be stored in listenerparticipation interface database 6 and automatically associated withcertain media elements, or with playlists related to that listener,without the need for the listener to re-enter the listener registrationdata each time one or more playlists or media elements are uploaded fromlistener computer 1 to listener participation interface database 6. Forexample, whenever a listener logs on to listener participation interfaceserver 4, any media element or playlist transmitted to listenerparticipation interface server 4 may be tagged or identified with thelistener's registration data in listener participation interfacedatabase 6.

In some embodiments of the listener participation interface, listenersmay register for a playlist contest, wherein other listeners, and/orradio broadcast personnel may provide feedback regarding the playlistssubmitted for the contest. Feedback may include but is not limited tojudging playlists against playlists submitted by other listeners. Inthis embodiment, the listener participation interface server 4 may beprogrammed with listener participation software that may compriseinstructions for allowing access to playlists that have been submittedfor contest to radio broadcast personnel through broadcast automationcontent server 9, and/or workstation 10. Depending on how the listenerparticipation interface server 4 is programmed, a listener may need toinstall a client application on a listener computer 1 in order to accessa listener participation interface. Alternatively, as noted above, alistener participation interface may be provided via a network “cloud,”e.g., as a web-based application, such that no client application needbe installed locally on a listener computer 1. Those skilled in the artwill recognize that other connections between devices (includingconnections not shown in the figures) may be provided as suitable forimplementing various embodiments described herein.

A listener participation interface may provide access to a listenerthrough one or more listener participation GUI screens. For example,FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a registration or sign-up screen 20may be provided by the exemplary listener participation software toallow a listener to register for a playlist contest. The sign-up screen20 may be initiated by clicking on a New User button 21. In theexemplary sign-up screen 20, a variety of listener registration data maybe entered into various registration fields, such as a screen name infield 22, first name in field 23, last name in field 24, address infield 27, city in field 28, state in field 29, postal code in field 30,country in field 26, e-mail address in field 25, age as may be selectedfrom a drop-down menu 32, and password in fields 31. After enteringinformation into the registration fields, the listener may select a GetStarted button 33 in order to complete the registration process withlistener participation interface server 4. Once a listener hasregistered, the listener participation interface server 4 may beprogrammed with instructions to generate a specific key associated withthat listener's screen name and password. In addition, after a listenerhas registered, the listener may log in so as to gain access toinformation, including but not limited to media elements or playlists,through the listener participation interface by way of exemplary log-inscreen 40, as shown in FIG. 3.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, a listener may log in by entering a screenname in field 41 and password in field 42 and clicking the Log-In button43. After the log in process is completed, the listener participationinterface server 4 may retrieve a key specific to that listener. Ofcourse, other suitable ways of establishing listener authorizationthrough the listener participation interface may be used.

As mentioned above, in some embodiments a listener may log into thelistener participation interface in order to create a playlist usingmedia elements. Listener participation software may provide instructionsfor allowing a listener to define the relationship between mediaelements similar to playlist assembler software utilized by radiobroadcasters.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary Create Your Playlist screen 50 that alistener may use in order to organize or assemble media elements into aplaylist, that may be provided by exemplary listener participationsoftware. A Create Your Playlist screen 50 may appear in connection witha Create Your Hour tab 51. A playlist table 52 may contain one or morecolumns 57, 53, 54, 55, and 56, to identify various aspects of mediaelements in the slots (numbered 1-20 in the screen) of column 53 thatmake up a playlist. These aspects, such as whether the element is asong, advertisement, etc., the artist (column 55), duration (column 56)or volume of the media element, or any other identifying characteristicmay be associated with the media element as metadata and storedaccordingly in listener participation interface server 4 or listenerparticipation interface database 6. A listener may select a slot incolumn 53 to insert a media element for a playlist. A media element maybe inserted into one or more of the slots in the Create Your Playlistscreen 50 shown in FIG. 4. The type of media element in a slot may beindicated in column 57 of table 52. For example, music may berepresented by a symbol 58, a commercial may be represented by anothersymbol 59, and an audio voice track may be represented by yet anothersymbol 60. Of course, other symbols or representations may be used toidentify other types of media elements.

In one embodiment, when a listener first opens the Create Your Playlistscreen 50, no media elements may have been entered into or displayed intable 52. For example, all slots may initially indicate in title column54 the words “Program This Slot” or some similar words to indicate thatmedia elements may be inserted into the slots. A slot 53 may be selectedand filled with a media element in any order by selecting thatparticular slot. A media element may be uploaded from listener computer1 and incorporated into a playlist. In some embodiments, a media elementuploaded from a listener computer 1 may be stored on listenerparticipation interface database 6. In this embodiment, a listener mayuse the record options 61 to record, and the media player 62 to playbacktheir own voice as a media element, such that the listener may emulate aradio disc jockey, and arrange the recorded voice track in conjunctionwith songs and other media elements to create a playlist “broadcastexperience.” This embodiment may allow a listener that may be interestedin a career as a disk jockey to gain experience as a disc jockey orcreate a demo that may be used as a hiring or talent search tool forradio broadcasters to identify new talent for disc jockey positions.Alternatively, a listener may create or write scripts for a professionaldisc jockey to read, the recording of which may be incorporated as amedia element into a playlist. Such an embodiment may facilitate thecontinuity of the radio station's identity during the airing ofplaylists that listeners have created.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary interface having a selection of mediaelements that may be assembled into a playlist that may be provided bythe exemplary listener participation software. Media elements may beselected from the list of media elements 82. Any media element in thelist of media elements 82 may be previewed by use of a media player 80.In this embodiment, a listener may listen to a media element beforechoosing to incorporate that media element into a playlist. A slot incolumn 72 in playlist table 71, such as slot 83 (slot number 2 in theGUI), may be selected and a media element may be inserted by selectingthe media element from a list of media elements 82 and then clicking aAdd To Playlist button 85. In some embodiments, instructions for how toassemble a playlist may be provided in text box 84. In some embodiments,a listener may preview or listen to the playlist at any point during theprocess of assembling or creating a playlist by clicking on a Preview MyPlaylist button 81.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary screen of a playlist preview instantiated byclicking on the Preview My Playlist button 81 shown in FIG. 5. Theplaylist may be displayed on table 90, showing for each media elementcolumns for the slot number 91, DJ chat 92, title 93, artist or authorof the media element 94, and the length 95 of the media element. In oneembodiment, a listener participation interface may provide a mediaplayer 96 that the listener may use to play the playlist or any mediaelement in the playlist. A listener may go back to the interface of FIG.5 by clicking on the Change Playlist button 97. In various embodiments,the listener may submit a playlist for a contest or to a broadcaster foran audition by clicking on the Submit My Playlist button 98.

Once a playlist has been defined and tagged, the media elements selectedfrom the listener participation interface database 6 and arranged into aplaylist may be merged into a single composite file using thetransitional information contained in the metadata. The file may bestored on the listener participation interface database 6, or any othersuitable database, and may be associated with the listener that createdthe playlist. The listener participation interface server 4 and listenerparticipation interface database 6 may transmit listener-submittedplaylists to broadcast automation content server 9 or to a broadcaster'sor radio station's computer system. Such a playlist may be incorporatedinto a radio broadcast using typical broadcast scheduling software. Insome embodiments, metadata exported with media elements may allowplaylists to be seamlessly incorporated into and used with thescheduling software of the radio station because the media elements maybe automatically compatible with such software.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary interface that may allow a listener to rateone or more playlists created and submitted by other listeners. Aselection of playlists 100 may be available to be previewed and listedaccording to the screen name 101 of the listener that created eachplaylist and selected by clicking on the Select hyperlink 102 located tothe left of the screen name of the listener that created the playlist.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, when a particular playlist is selected, thespecific details of that playlist may be depicted (as shown in FIG. 8)in an exemplary table 115 with columns displaying information pertainingto the media elements, such as the slot number 110, the title 111, theartist 112, the length of the media element 113, or the category 114.Using a media player 116, a listener may listen to the playlist depictedin table 115 either by individually listening to each media element orlistening to the media elements as arranged in the playlist. A feedbacksystem 123 may be provided that allows a listener to, for example, ratethe playlist on a scale of 1-5 ranging from, e.g., “Don't quit your dayjob!” to “Hire Them!” A listener may click on one of the buttons 117,118, 119, 120, or 121 along that scale, and then click the Rate button122 to submit the rating. Of course, various other embodiments may beprovided that allow for playlists to be judged or rated on various otherscales such as, but not limited to, ranking playlists by number againstother playlists or various other scaling methods. When a listenersubmits a rating by clicking on the Rate button 122, that rating may besaved and submitted to the listener participation interface database 6.In some embodiments, listener participation software may provideinstructions for organizing the ratings submitted by listeners oranalyzing ratings that have been submitted in order to determine one ormore winners or losers.

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary interface for providing answers tofrequently asked questions regarding a playlist contest. Such a listingof answers may appear under a separate tab 56, and may enable a listenerparticipation interface, including a playlist contest, to be listenerfriendly or more easily navigated by a listener.

FIG. 10 depicts an alternative embodiment of a system and method ofproviding a listener participation interface. This embodiment includesthe devices of FIG. 1, and further includes a listener participationcontent server 140. In this embodiment, broadcast automation server 9may communicate a broad range of listener participation content to thelistener participation content server 140 to populate the listenerparticipation interface. As with FIG. 1, those skilled in the art willrecognize that other connections between devices (including connectionsnot shown in the figures) may be provided as suitable for implementingvarious embodiments described herein.

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary interface that a listener may use to view,listen, and rate to a playlist. In this embodiment, the playlistsidentified by buttons 150, 151, 152, 153, or 154 may be the finaliststhat have received the highest rating as compared to a plurality ofother playlists. A finalist playlist may be identified by one or morenumber buttons 150, 151, 152, 153, or 154. For instance, upon clickingon the “#1” button 150, the playlist associated with number 1 may beuploaded into window 155. In window 155, the media elements in theplaylist may be identified by title 156, length 157, and type 158. Aballot 159 may be provided to rate finalists 1-5 by submitting a scoreby clicking on a button 160 that represents a rated score between leastfavorite or most favorite as compared between each of the finalistplaylists. The score that has been selected may be shown in column 161.A ballot may be submitted by clicking on the Submit Voting Ballot button162. Alternatively the rated selections may be cleared by clicking onthe Clear All button 163.

FIG. 12 depicts another exemplary interface through which a listener mayassemble a playlist. A selection of media elements 170 may be provided.A program log 171 may be provided as a template into which mediaelements may be inserted from a selection of media elements 170. Toselect a media element, a listener may click on that element and thenclick the Select button 172, which allows that media element to beinserted into the program log 171. A program log may be saved byclicking on a Save button 176. The selection of media elements 170 maybe organized by title, artist, media element length or other identifyingcharacteristics by clicking on the Title button 173, the Artist button174, or the Time button 175. Other types of media elements may beselected from lists provided under the tabs “Station IDs,” “StationBits” and “Other.” Such other types of media elements may includewithout limitation jingles, sound effects, station identification andsuch other elements.

FIG. 13 depicts another exemplary interface that a listener may interactwith to rate a playlist that has been created and submitted by otherlisteners. A program log 180 may identify the media elements in theplaylist and the playlist may be rated by clicking on buttons 181, 182,183, 184, or 185 on a scale of 1-5. The ballot may be submitted byclicking on a Submit Voting Ballot button 186 or, alternatively, theballot may be cleared by clicking on a Clear button 187.

FIG. 14 depicts an exemplary interface that may allow a radiobroadcaster to manage and edit a playlist such as a playlist submittedby a listener. Media elements may be selected from a listenerparticipation interface database 6 or a broadcast automation contentdatabase 8 by category 190 or subcategory 191. For example, a playlistthat has been submitted by a listener may be edited before incorporatingthe playlist into a radio broadcast such that it is more appropriate toa professional radio broadcast, such as by adding or deleting mediaelements. Slots may be added or deleted by clicking on Add Slot button192 or Delete Slot button 193. In this embodiment, each slot has acategory and a subcategory that may assist a broadcaster in editing theplaylist.

FIG. 15 depicts an exemplary interface that may allow a broadcaster toorganize playlists submitted by listeners into a radio broadcast andcoordinate such organization with, in some embodiments, broadcastautomation software. Playlists may be depicted in playlist table 200 andidentified by the screen name 201 and email address 202 of the listenerthat created the playlist. In some embodiments, the listener rating 203may also be shown next to the screen name 201 and email address 202 ofthe listener that submitted the playlist. A playlist may be insertedinto a particular time sequence of a radio broadcast by a drop down menu204, which in this embodiment allows a broadcaster to select an hour ofthe day in which a playlist may be broadcast. A drop down menu similarto 204 may be available next to each playlist such that each playlistcan be placed into a particular time sequence in a radio broadcast. Aplaylist may be previewed by use of media player 205.

FIG. 16 depicts another portion of that exemplary interface of FIG. 15.As may be seen in FIG. 16, a broadcaster may select a broadcast stationthrough a drop down menu 210 and a day on which a playlist may beincorporated through calendar 211, and submit the schedule by clickingon a Create NextGen Schedule button 212. Selecting the Create NextGenSchedule button 212 creates a time-based log that may be imported into abroadcaster's broadcast automation software such as NextGen to create adaily log. Such importation may be accomplished through use of linksprovided in table 213.

FIG. 17 depicts a time-based log 220 of media elements that has beendownloaded to create the daily log by use of the links provided in table213 of FIG. 16. Such a time-based log 220 may be displayed and printedin order to provide a summary of the media elements to be played in theradio broadcast and that have been incorporated using broadcastautomation software.

FIG. 18 depicts an exemplary interface for a broadcaster to manage alibrary of media elements exported to the listener participationinterface database 6. Media elements in listener participation interfacedatabase 6 may be downloaded and thus previewed in, for example, aMicrosoft Excel® spreadsheet by clicking on Download My Current ExcelLibrary link 230. A blank library that would enable a broadcaster toselect media elements for exportation to the listener participationinterface database 6 may be accessed via the Download Blank ExcelLibrary link 231. Files may be selected and inserted into a blank Excellibrary by clicking on the Browse button 232 and the Upload button 233.One or more media elements may be inserted into field 234 by browsingthe broadcaster's computer system, for instance a broadcast automationcontent database 8 and a broadcast automation content server 9, andselecting the media element to insert into field 234. An item may beremoved by clicking on a Remove Item button 236 and the list may becleared by clicking on the Clear List button 238.

FIG. 19 depicts an exemplary administrative interface that may allow aradio broadcaster to create and manage a custom playlist contest. Forexample and not by way of limitation, a broadcaster may review contestresults by clicking on a Contest Results link 240. Playlists that havebeen submitted for a contest through a listener participation interfacemay be previewed by clicking on a Contest Results link 240. In someembodiments, clicking on a Contest Results link 240 may cause finalistplaylists to appear fore review. A broadcaster may export media elementsto the listener participation interface database 6 by clicking on aLibrary link 241. A broadcaster may update the various audio categoriesassociated with the media elements exported to listener participationinterface database 6 by clicking on a Playlist link 242. A broadcastermay initiate a new contest by clicking on a Reset Contest link 244. Abroadcaster may add other authorized radio broadcast personnel to haveaccess to the listener participation interface by clicking on a AdminUsers link 243. In some embodiments, the broadcaster may access thebroadcast automation software log by clicking on a Next Gen Log link246. A radio broadcaster may log out by clicking a Log Out link 245.

After a contest is over, the broadcaster may reset the listenerparticipation interface by clearing previous voting records andplaylists, and provide a new contest in the manner described above.

FIG. 20 depicts yet another alternative embodiment of a system andmethod of providing a listener participation interface. This embodimentis provides the listener participation interface through a much “leaner”system than that of FIG. 1, for example, yet does not limit the featuresand functionality of the listener participation interface and thelistener and broadcaster's interaction therewith. In this embodiment, aradio station automation system 253 and a radio station workstation 10may communicate with a website hosting server 2 and website hostingdatabase 250, and a listener computer 1 over a network 251, such as theInternet. For added security, a firewall 254 may be used to shield theradio station automation system 253 and the radio station workstation 10from network hazards. In this embodiment, the radio station automationsystem 253 includes a broadcast automation server 9 (shown in thisembodiment as multiple servers), and an automation and schedulingdatabase 252. In this embodiment, broadcast antenna 11 transmitsbroadcast signals over the air. A radio broadcaster may facilitatelistener participation by populating the listener participationinterface software residing at website hosting database 250 with mediaelements from automation and scheduling database 252. A listener mayinteract with the radio broadcaster through a GUI provided by websitehosting server 2. Here, as well, those skilled in the art will recognizethat other connections between devices (including connections not shownin the figures) may be provided as suitable for implementing variousembodiments described herein.

In the embodiment of FIG. 20, a broadcaster at radio station workstation10 may create a spreadsheet using, for example, Microsoft Excel, with alist of media elements to be loaded into the listener participationinterface. As noted above, such media elements may include songs, bits,liners or other audio content. The broadcaster may then access theadministrative section of the listener participation interface andupload the Excel spreadsheet to the listener participation interface atthe website hosting database 250. The broadcaster may then download thelisted media elements from the radio station automation system 253,convert the audio to an appropriate format such as WMA as may benecessary, and upload the media elements to the website hosting database250. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the broadcaster mayalternatively cause the radio station automation system 253 to transmitmedia elements directly to the website hosting database 250. Thebroadcaster may then create exemplary playlists for the listenerparticipation interface by logging in, and selecting and arranging themedia elements.

FIG. 21 depicts an exemplary interface that may be provided by theexemplary listener participation software for a listener to view, listento, and rate media elements, including but not limited to a plurality ofsongs. In this embodiment, the interface may allow a listener to informthe radio broadcaster which songs the listener would like to have in aradio broadcast. One part of the interface, the Music Library 260, mayprovide a list of songs that may be rated by title and artist. Listenersmay listen to and rate each song by clicking on that song in the MusicLibrary 260. In some embodiments, a media player 261 may be provided andmay automatically begin playing a song when a listener clicks on thatsong in the Music Library 260. A listener may rate a song using a ballot262, and may submit the ballot 262 to the broadcaster by clicking on theSubmit button 263. A listener that is logged into the listenerparticipation interface may view all votes that a particular listenerhas submitted for songs in the My Votes table 264. A listener may changehis or her vote for a song in the My Votes table 264 by selecting thatsong from the My Votes table 264.

A radio broadcaster may research the popularity of media elements,including but not limited to songs, and create a radio broadcastaccordingly by using the results obtained through the interface of FIG.21. The media elements that the radio broadcaster may allow to be ratedby listeners may comprise the current media elements being played on airor new media elements the radio broadcaster is considering airing. Asshown in FIG. 22, an exemplary interface may be provided by theexemplary listener participation software to allow a radio broadcasterto view and access the results from the ratings submitted by listeners.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 22, a radio broadcaster may view theaverage of all votes for a plurality of songs in column 271 and thetotal number of votes submitted for each song in column 272. The titleof the song and the artist may be displayed in columns 273 and 274respectively. Finally, a song identification number may be displayed incolumn 275. Of course, the results obtained from the interface of FIG.21 may be displayed in various other formats.

A listener participation interface as described herein may provide agreater level of listener participation in a radio broadcast and thusincrease the number of listeners for a radio broadcaster. There may benatural excitement and word of mouth publicity generated with respect toa radio broadcast or radio station if listeners tell their friends tolisten and vote for their playlist. In some embodiments, a listenerparticipation interface may provide a vehicle for new music and coremusic testing. Trends as to which media elements, such as music andjingles, are most commonly selected may allow a broadcaster or radiostation to more selectively broadcast the most popular media elements.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various devicesdisclosed in FIGS. 1, 10 and 20 may communicate via network. A networkmay be any type of electronically connected group of computersincluding, for instance, the following networks: Internet, Intranet,Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN) or an interconnectedcombination of these network types. In addition, the connectivity withina network may be, for example, remote modem, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3),Token Ring (IEEE 802.5), Fiber Distributed Datalink Interface (FDDI),Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), Wi-Max (IEEE 802.16), Asynchronous Transfer Mode(ATM), or any other communication protocol. Those having skill in theart will recognize that the devices in FIGS. 1, 10 and 20 may be anysuitable device, such as a desktop computer, server, portable device,hand-held device, set-top box, personal digital assistant (PDA), aterminal, thin client, or a suitable device of any other desired type orconfiguration. Those having skill in the art will recognize thatnetwork-connected devices, and devices connected to each other, may varywidely in processing speed, internal memory, communication capability,and other performance aspects, as may be suitable for the variousfunctionalities described herein. Such devices may also begeographically dispersed. Communications within the network and to orfrom the computing devices connected to the network or each other may beeither wired or wireless, and may be established by physical,electronic, optical, or other means. Wireless communication may beespecially advantageous for network connected portable or hand-helddevices. A network may include, at least in part, the world-wide publicInternet which generally connects a plurality of users in accordancewith a client-server model in accordance with the transmission controlprotocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) specification. A client-servernetwork may provide a dominant model for communicating between twocomputing devices. Using this relationship, a client computer (a“client”) may issue one or more commands to a server computer (the“server”). The server may fulfill client commands by accessing availablenetwork resources and returning information to the client pursuant toclient commands. During this process, client computer systems andnetwork resources resident on the network servers may be assigned anetwork address for identification during communications betweenelements of the network. Communications from other network connectedsystems to the servers may include the network address of the relevantserver/network resource as part of the communication so that theappropriate destination of the data/request may be identified as therecipient. If a network comprises the global Internet, the networkaddress may be an IP address in the TCP/IP format which may, at least inpart, route data to an e-mail account, a web-site, or other Internettool resident on the server. Thus, information and services resident onthe network servers may be available to the web browser of a clientcomputer through a domain name which maps to the IP address of thenetwork server.

Although the foregoing specific details describe certain embodiments ofthis invention, persons having ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat various changes may be made in the details of this inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedin the appended claims. Those having skill in the art will recognizethat a variety of GUIs, devices and connections may be providedaccording to the principles described herein. Therefore, it should beunderstood that this invention is not to be limited to the specificdetails shown and described herein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of allowing listeners toparticipate in broadcast programming, the method comprising: providing alibrary of media elements accessible by a plurality of listeners, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system; receiving fromeach of at least two of the listeners a playlist of media elements,wherein at least one of the media elements in each playlist is from thelibrary of media elements, by executing a program instruction in acomputer system; editing the playlists using broadcast schedulingsoftware, by executing a program instruction in a computer system;providing the edited playlists to the plurality of listeners forplayback, and for feedback regarding the playlists, by executing aprogram instruction in a computer system; receiving feedback from atleast one of the listeners regarding the playlists, wherein the feedbackcomprises an indication of listener preference for one instead ofanother of the playlists, by executing a program instruction in acomputer system; selecting a winning playlist based on the feedback, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system; and transmittingan offer of a prize to a winning listener submitting the winningplaylist, by executing a program instruction in a computer system. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the media elementscomprises one of a song, voice recording, station jingle andlistener-generated media element.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the media element comprises metadata that identifies the atleast one media element.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mediaelements comprise metadata that defines a relationship between mediaelements in each playlist.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprisingmerging the playlist into a single composite file using the metadata. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising incorporating one of theplaylists into a radio broadcast, by executing a program instruction ina computer system.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprisinganalyzing the playlists to determine listener preferences, by executinga program instruction in a computer system.
 8. The method of claim 1,further comprising analyzing the feedback to determine listenerpreferences, by executing a program instruction in a computer system. 9.The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving demographicinformation from a listener of the plurality of listeners beforereceiving the playlist of media elements from that listener, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising analyzing the playlists of media elementsand the demographic information to determine listener preferences, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system.
 11. A method ofproviding for listener participation in a broadcast programming contest,the method comprising: providing a listener participation interface anda library of media elements accessible through the listenerparticipation interface, by executing a program instruction in acomputer system; wherein the listener participation interface comprisescontrols for defining a relationship between and aggregating mediaelements to create a playlist; receiving, from each of a plurality oflisteners through the listener participation interface, a playlist ofmedia elements, by executing a program instruction in a computer system;displaying on the listener participation interface at least one of theplaylists, by executing a program instruction in a computer system;playing at least one of the playlists upon request, by executing aprogram instruction in a computer system; receiving feedback regardingat least one of the playlists, wherein the feedback comprises anindication of listener preference for one instead of another of theplaylists, by executing a program instruction in a computer system;selecting a winning playlist based on the feedback, by executing aprogram instruction in a computer system; and transmitting an offer of aprize to the listener submitting the winning playlist, by executing aprogram instruction in a computer system.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the prize comprises broadcasting the winning playlist.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising merging at least one of theplaylists into a composite file using metadata, by executing a programinstruction in a computer system.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising transmitting the composite file for broadcasting, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system.
 15. A method ofproviding for listener participation, the method comprising: providing alistener participation interface, by executing a program instruction ina computer system; receiving playlists from a plurality of listenersthrough the listener participation interface, the playlists comprisingmedia elements, by executing a program instruction in a computer system;displaying the playlists on the listener participation interface, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system; playing one of theplaylists upon request of a listener, by executing a program instructionin a computer system; receiving feedback from the listener regarding theplayed playlist, wherein the feedback comprises an indication oflistener preference for one instead of another of the playlists, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system; and transmittingan offer of a prize to a listener submitting a played playlist receivingpositive feedback, by executing a program instruction in a computersystem.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing mediaelements for incorporation into the playlists to the plurality oflisteners through the listener participation interface, by executing aprogram instruction in a computer system.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein at least one of the media elements comprises one of a song,voice recording, station jingle and listener-generated media element.18. The method of claim 15, wherein the prize comprises broadcasting theplaylist.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising analyzingfeedback to determine listener preferences, by executing a programinstruction in a computer system.
 20. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising: aggregating the feedback for each played playlist, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system; and displaying theaggregated feedback in connection with the played playlist to which theaggregated feedback pertains, by executing a program instruction in acomputer system.
 21. The method of claim 20, further comprisingbroadcasting a selected playlist based on the aggregated feedback, byexecuting a program instruction in a computer system.
 22. A computercomprising: a processor a memory communicatively coupled to theprocessor; a program of instructions configured to be stored in thememory and executed by the processor, the program of instructionscomprising: at least one instruction to provide a library of mediaelements accessible by a plurality of listeners; at least oneinstruction to receive from each of at least two of the listeners aplaylist of media elements, wherein at least one of the media elementsin each playlist is from the library of media elements; at least oneinstruction to edit the playlists using broadcast scheduling software;at least one instruction to provide the edited playlists to theplurality of listeners for playback, and for feedback regarding one ormore of the playlists; at least one instruction to receive feedback fromat least one of the listeners regarding the edited playlists provided tothe plurality of listeners, wherein the feedback comprises an indicationof listener preference for one instead of another of the playlists; atleast one instruction to select a winning playlist based on thefeedback; and at least one instruction to transmit an offer of a prizeto a winning listener submitting the winning playlist.
 23. The computerof claim 22, wherein at least one of the media elements is one of asong, voice recording, station jingle, and listener-generated content.24. The computer of claim 22, the program of instructions furthercomprising at least one instruction to incorporate one of the playlistsinto a radio broadcast.
 25. The computer of claim 22, the program ofinstructions further comprising at least one instruction to analyze theplaylist of media elements to determine listener preferences.
 26. Thecomputer of claim 22, the program of instructions further comprising atleast one instruction to analyze the feedback to determine listenerpreferences.
 27. The computer of claim 22, the program of instructionsfurther comprising at least one instruction to receive demographicinformation from a listener before receiving the playlist of mediaelements from that listener.
 28. The computer of claim 27, the programof instructions further comprising at least one instruction to analyzethe playlists of media elements and the demographic information todetermine listener preferences.
 29. A computer comprising: a processor amemory communicatively coupled to the processor; a program ofinstructions configured to be stored in the memory and executed by theprocessor, the program of instructions comprising: at least oneinstruction to provide a listener participation interface and a libraryof media elements accessible through the listener participationinterface, wherein the listener participation interface comprisescontrols for defining a relationship between and aggregating mediaelements to create a playlist; at least one instruction to receive, fromeach of a plurality of listeners through the listener participationinterface, a playlist of media elements; at least one instruction todisplay on the listener participation interface at least one of theplaylists; at least one instruction to play at least one of theplaylists upon request; at least one instruction to receive feedbackregarding at least one of the playlists, wherein the feedback comprisesan indication of listener preference for one instead of another of theplaylists; at least one instruction to select a winning playlist basedon the feedback; and at least one instruction to transmit an offer of aprize to the listener submitting the winning playlist.
 30. The computerof claim 29, wherein the prize comprises broadcasting the winningplaylist.
 31. A computer comprising: a processor a memorycommunicatively coupled to the processor; a program of instructionsconfigured to be stored in the memory and executed by the processor, theprogram of instructions comprising: at least one instruction to providea listener participation interface; at least one instruction to receiveplaylists from a plurality of listeners through the listenerparticipation interface, the playlists comprising media elements; atleast one instruction to display the playlists on the listenerparticipation interface; at least one instruction to play one of theplaylists upon request of a listener; at least one instruction toreceive feedback from the listener regarding the played playlist,wherein the feedback comprises an indication of listener preference forone instead of another of the playlists; and at least one instruction totransmit an offer of a prize to a listener submitting a played playlistreceiving positive feedback.
 32. The computer of claim 31, the programof instructions further comprising at least one instruction to providemedia elements for incorporation into the playlists to the plurality oflisteners through the listener participation interface.
 33. The computerof claim 31, wherein at least one of the media elements comprises one ofa song, voice recording, station jingle and listener-generated mediaelement.
 34. The computer of claim 31, wherein the prize comprisesbroadcasting the playlist.
 35. The computer of claim 31, the program ofinstructions further comprising at least one instruction to analyzefeedback to determine listener preferences.
 36. The computer of claim31, the program of instructions further comprising at least oneinstruction to aggregate the feedback for each played playlist; anddisplay the aggregated feedback in connection with the played playlistto which the aggregated feedback pertains.
 37. The computer of claim 36,the program of instructions further comprising at least one instructionto broadcast a selected playlist based on the aggregated feedback.
 38. Acomputer comprising: a processor a memory communicatively coupled to theprocessor; a program of instructions configured to be stored in thememory and executed by the processor, the program of instructionscomprising: at least one instruction to provide a library of mediaelements accessible by a plurality of listeners; at least oneinstruction to receive from a first listener a playlist of mediaelements, wherein: at least one of the media elements in the playlist isfrom the library of media elements; at least one instruction to providethe playlist to the plurality of listeners for playback; and at leastone instruction to receive feedback from the plurality of listenersregarding the playlist provided to the plurality of listeners, whereinthe feedback comprises a ranking of the playlists with respect to eachother.
 39. A computer comprising: a processor a memory communicativelycoupled to the processor; a program of instructions configured to bestored in the memory and executed by the processor, the program ofinstructions comprising: at least one instruction to receive from afirst listener a playlist of media elements, at least one of the mediaelements generated by the first listener; at least one instruction toprovide the playlist to a second listener for playback and for feedbackregarding the playlist; and at least one instruction to receive feedbackfrom the second listener regarding the playlist provided to the secondlistener.
 40. A system for allowing listeners to participate inbroadcast programming, the system comprising: a server computerconnected to a network, the server computer comprising a library ofmedia elements and broadcast scheduling software; and a plurality ofclient computers capable of communicating with the server computer andaccessing the library of media elements over the network, each of theplurality of client computers capable of (a) retrieving media elementsfrom the library; (b) allowing listener creation of a playlist at leastpartly comprised of the retrieved media elements; (c) sending theplaylist to the server computer for editing with the broadcastscheduling software; (d) receiving the edited playlists from the servercomputer; (e) displaying a listener participation interface forreceiving listener feedback on the edited playlists; (f) receivinglistener feedback regarding the edited playlist, wherein the feedbackcomprises an indication of listener preference for one instead ofanother of the playlists; (g) identifying a winning edited playlistbased on the feedback; and (h) transmitting an offer of a prize to awinning listener submitting the winning edited playlist.
 41. The systemof claim 40, wherein at least one of the media elements is one of asong, voice recording, station jingle, and listener-generated content.42. The system of claim 40, the server computer being capable ofanalyzing the playlist of media elements to determine listenerpreferences.
 43. The system of claim 40, the server computer beingcapable of analyzing the feedback to determine listener preferences. 44.The system of claim 40, the server computer being further capable ofreceiving demographic information from a listener via the clientcomputers before receiving any of the created playlists of mediaelements.
 45. The system of claim 44, the server computer being capableof comprising analyzing the playlists of media elements and thedemographic information to determine listener preferences.
 46. A systemof providing for listener participation in a broadcast programmingcontest, the system comprising: a server computer connected to anetwork, the server computer comprising a library of media elements andbroadcast scheduling software; and a plurality of client computerscapable of communicating with the server computer and accessing thelibrary of media elements over the network, each of the plurality ofclient computers capable of (a) displaying a listener participationinterface for listener interaction with the library of media elements,wherein the listener participation interface comprises controls forarranging a plurality of media elements into a playlist of mediaelements; (b) receiving from a first listener the playlist of mediaelements; (c) displaying on the listener participation interface aplurality of listener-created playlists; (d) playing at least one of theplaylists upon listener request; (e) receiving feedback from a secondlistener regarding at least one of the playlists, wherein the feedbackcomprises an indication of listener preference for one instead ofanother of the playlists; (f) identifying a winning playlist based onthe feedback; and (g) transmitting an offer of a prize to a winningfirst listener submitting the winning playlist.
 47. The system of claim46, wherein the prize comprises broadcasting the winning playlist. 48.The system of claim 46, the client computers being further capable oftransmitting the composite file to the server computer for broadcasting.49. A system of providing for listener participation, the systemcomprising: a server computer connected to a network, the servercomputer comprising a library of media elements and broadcast schedulingsoftware; and a plurality of client computers capable of communicatingwith the server computer and accessing the library of media elementsover the network, each of the plurality of client computers capable of(a) providing a listener participation interface; (b) receiving aplaylist of media elements from a first listener through the listenerparticipation interface; (c) displaying a plurality of playlists on thelistener participation interface; (d) playing one of the playlists uponrequest of a second listener; (e) receiving feedback from the requestingsecond listener regarding the played playlist, wherein the feedbackcomprises an indication of listener preference for one instead ofanother of the playlists; and (f) transmitting an offer of a prize to afirst listener submitting a played playlist receiving positive feedback.50. The system of claim 49, wherein at least one of the media elementscomprises one of a song, voice recording, station jingle andlistener-generated media element.
 51. The system of claim 49, whereinthe prize comprises broadcasting the playlist.
 52. The system of claim49, the client computers being further capable of analyzing feedback todetermine listener preferences.
 53. The system of claim 49, the clientcomputers being further capable of comprising: aggregating the feedbackfor each played playlist; and displaying the aggregated feedback inconnection with the played playlist to which the aggregated feedbackpertains.
 54. The system of claim 53, the client computers computerbeing further capable of sending a playlist to the server computer forbroadcasting based on the aggregated feedback.
 55. A system of allowinglistener participation in broadcast programming, the system comprising:a server computer connected to a network, the server computer comprisinga library of media elements and broadcast scheduling software; and aplurality of client computers capable of communicating with the servercomputer and accessing the library of media elements over the network,each of the plurality of client computers capable of (a) providinglistener access to the library of media elements; (b) receiving from afirst listener a playlist of media elements, wherein: at least one ofthe media elements in the playlist is from the library of mediaelements; (c) displaying a plurality of listener-submitted playlists forplayback; and (d) receiving feedback from a listener regarding one ofthe listener submitted playlists displayed for playback, wherein thefeedback comprises a ranking of the playlists with respect to eachother.